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B.J. Upton day to day after being hit by pitch

5/13/13: Justin Upton takes Wade Miley deep with a two-run shot after his brother, B.J. Upton is hit by a pitch

By Mark Bowman
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MLB.com |

PHOENIX -- Braves center fielder B.J. Upton was fortunate to avoid serious injury when he was hit in the left shoulder by a Wade Miley fastball during the sixth inning of Monday night's 10-1 win against the D-backs at Chase Field.

But after playing center field in the bottom of the sixth, Upton was removed before his at-bat in the seventh with what the Braves called a left shoulder contusion.

"I was initially good and I was alright on defense," Upton said. "I just went to swing a bat and it was [tight]."

Still feeling pretty sore after the game, Upton doubted he would be able to play in Tuesday night's game. But there is a chance he could return for Wednesday's series finale against the D-backs.

Upton hit the ball sharply in his first two at-bats and then took the fastball off his shoulder in his third at-bat. His younger brother Justin Upton followed with a monstrous two-run home run that sailed over the center-field wall and highlighted his first game back in Arizona since being traded to the Braves in January.

"I really wasn't thinking anything," B.J. said. "I was still in pain. I was just glad I didn't have to turn on the jets and run."

Before exiting, Upton showed off his strong arm with an impressive throw that denied Martin Prado's attempt to tag and score on Wil Nieves' fourth-inning flyout.

Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.